


Strength in Specificity

by horchata



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Manga Spoilers, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-07-25 21:22:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7547689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/horchata/pseuds/horchata
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a team with people so incredibly talented and just as hard-working as himself, Tadashi knows the only way to contribute is to be more of a specialist than a generalist, to do what he can to become invaluable, irreplaceable, even if only for a serve or two. </p><p>So when Kageyama starts circling in on Tadashi's pinch server territory, he has every right to be wary. Tadashi isn't built to tolerate staying on reserve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strength in Specificity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [quantize](https://archiveofourown.org/users/quantize/gifts).



> Quantize! I really hope you like this. I gotta tell you, this story stands alone well enough, but I have another couple thousand words left in me to talk about Kageyama and Yamaguchi, so let me know if you'd like more.
> 
> Huge thanks to [reallycorking](http://archiveofourown.org/users/reallycorking/pseuds/reallycorking), [longleggedgit](http://archiveofourown.org/users/longleggedgit/pseuds/longleggedgit), and [vorvayne](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Vorvayne/pseuds/Vorvayne) for the beta reading.
> 
> This fic was written in June 2016. If you're wondering what was happening in the _Haikyuu!!_ manga then, let me bring you up to speed: Kageyama is in Tokyo at a five-day volleyball camp for the best and brightest of Japan. Tsukki and Hinata are spending practice time after classes at a similar camp at Shiratorizawa, seven days long, just for schools in the Miyagi prefecture. Yamaguchi is the only first year left behind. This fic diverges from canon right about here, and takes place as Kageyama's camp comes to a close.  
>   
> 

Tadashi's never been the youngest of anything. It sounds nice, like an easy shortcut to a second chance. Tsukki grew up cherished and nurtured despite his personality. People just do that with the youngest. Tadashi doesn't have any siblings and he isn't particularly social. Tadashi doesn't warrant special treatment.

It's fine. It's what he expects. He knows it comes from how he moves and acts, especially at the beginning of something, especially when he's nervous. He started off as Tsukki's shadow, an afterthought: tall enough; not quick, but not prohibitively slow. He knows how he comes across. It's his burden to carry.

But today is different.

All the other first years are gone. Normally, they're too stubborn and hard-headed to miss practice, even when sick, maybe even when injured. But today, they're all gone, which means three spots taken by regulars are wide open, and Tadashi, whose senses have been finely honed to latch on to any unattended advantage, plans to take one of those for his own.

Tadashi's made his peace with being second string insofar as anyone can. He knows his body and its limits. Early on, he learned that to survive in harsh environments, you have to specialize. You can find sparrows in many places all over the world, but an Emperor penguin only thrives in the harshest Antarctic conditions. Tadashi knows even though people see friendly sparrows every day, would miss their song if they were gone, people _pay_ to see a penguin.

On a team with people so incredibly talented and just as hard-working as himself, Tadashi knows his only way to contribute is to be more of a specialist than a generalist, to do what he can to become invaluable, irreplaceable, even if only for a serve or two. Tadashi perhaps isn't made to be a starter like Tsukki or Daichi, but he also isn't made to be like Ennoshita, Kinoshita, or Narita. Tadashi isn't built to tolerate staying on reserve.

And today, more than any other day, Tadashi is going to be even further away from the endline. He is the only first year here. Today he is the youngest.

He is going to be _spoiled._

Coach brings them all together before practice. "This is a rare opportunity! Instead of practice matches, I want all of us who are here to work on learning from each other. Take advantage of the chance to practice with someone new. Today, there is no A Team or B Team. Today, we are all Karasuno, and we are all going to work with each other, me included."

Tadashi is so excited he feels his smile vibrating. This is even better than he could've dreamed.

"I trust you all to know what you need to work on!" Coach says, hands on his hips, scanning their faces. "I trust you to work diligently. If this goes well, we can try having an hour of open practice every day over the next week. Learn from each other, learn from me. We'll have our own training camp!"

"Yes!" everyone yells.

Playing with Nishinoya and Tanaka and the others is a gift, and Tadashi takes advantage of it as much as possible. Nishinoya helps him with receives and posture, since if his serves get returned, he might have to earn his keep keeping the ball in the air. Asahi watches him spike a few times and corrects how Tadashi's been holding his fingers, or rather, how he's not really been aware of them existing.

"With the float serve, I don't let any of my fingers touch the ball," Tadashi explains.

"Well, ideally, in a spike, you, um, want to have the greatest control possible, and cover -- ah, the -- see? Cover the ball to control where it goes."

"Ah, thank you," he says, taking the ball from Asahi. Tadashi spreads his fingers wide on its surface inhaling. He feels his heart and lungs fill.

It's so good to play with the third years so close to Nationals, to learn what he can. Suga tosses to him, Tanaka shows him a cross-court spike, Coach even has time to watch Tadashi's float serve for inconsistencies and form. For three days, Tadashi gets the almost undivided attention of his senpais.

 _It's like a camp just for me!_ he messages Tsukki while he's doing his homework.

Tsukki doesn't reply until Tadashi is brushing his teeth: _let's trade_.

He snickers around his toothbrush. Almost every LINE from Tsukki has been at least somewhat about how annoying, aggravating, and aggrandizing Hinata has been so far. On the first day, Tsukki messaged him a string of curses so long Tadashi almost fell out of his chair laughing. Tsukishima is his dearest friend, his brother by choice, but without Kageyama around to corral the majority of Hinata's boundless enthusiasm, Tadashi imagines Tsukki's close to Losing It.

And, right. Kageyama. Tadashi spits into the sink. Kageyama’s five-day training camp ends tomorrow. Tadashi feels a little dip of disappointment in his chest. Kageyama comes back Thursday, and then Tsukki and Hinata will be back next Monday. He won't be able to get the same kind of undivided attention from the senpais. It will be the beginning of the end. Kageyama will need to relay what he learned, Daichi and Coach will want to hear it. Kageyama will spend time with Suga working on dual-setter rhythms, and then with Asahi and Tanaka to practice timing. Tadashi and the rest of the B team will go back to segregated practices, Tadashi to endless jump float serves. Specialize.

 _Well. There is strength in specificity,_ he reminds himself. Kageyama is good at everything, but he chose to be a setter, and that's what he plays, even though he could be just as good of a wing spiker as anyone else, could stand proudly next to Tsukishima as a competent middle blocker. Asahi would be a formidable block, but he's trained to be a spiker. And Tadashi, whose stamina can't rival Hinata's, whose power won't measure up to Tanaka's spikes -- he's chosen his own path. Elite or not, he is their pinch server. Nothing can take that away.

  


***

  


"Tsukki, have you seen my bento?"

Tsukishima looks up from his lunch. "Have you?"

"No." Tadashi slumps in the desk next to Tsukishima and sighs. "I can't imagine where I would've left it?"

"Neither can I," he says, and offers Tadashi a snow pea.

"Thanks, Tsukki," Tadashi says, taking a bite.

"It's your lizard brain again."

"Tsukki?"

"You're too nervous. When you're nervous, you make mistakes. When you make mistakes you get irrational." 

"Sorry, Tsukki."

Tsukki hums low, chewing on a piece of croquette. "Maybe the gym?"

Tadashi sighs again and rests his face on the desk.

"Pardon me!" someone yells, and then the voice is closer and much, much louder. "Hey! Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, have you seen Kageyama?"

Tsukki gives Hinata his most withering look. "Have you forgotten we're inside?" Tadashi has to hide his smile in his elbow.

Hinata huffs and turns his body to face Tadashi entirely. "Have _you_ seen Kageyama? He's back and he's not around to eat lunch."

"What a shame," Tsukki says, primly, and eats another bite of croquette.

"Sorry, Hinata," Tadashi sighs. He sits up. "I can't even find my own lunch, much less a person."

Hinata lets out a frustrated, garbled noise and flops down backwards in the chair in front of Tsukki. He opens his bento and pops a small rice ball into his mouth, chewing angrily. "Maybe the gym?" he says with his mouth full.

"That's what Tsukki thought. Or -- Kageyama, or my bento?"

"The bento," Hinata says, pausing. "But maybe also Kageyama?"

Tsukki bristles. "Are you going to eat _here_?"

" _You_ can't find Kageyama. Where else am I going to eat, _Tsukishima-kun_?" Hinata says. Tadashi imagines a small spark of electricity glance off of Tsukki's glasses and crackle in Hinata's hair.

"I'm. I'm going to check in the gym."

Tsukki looks at Tadashi, betrayal in his eyes. Tadashi smiles faintly. _Sorry, Tsukki._

"See ya, Yamaguchi!” Hinata calls before turning back to focus on Tsukishima. “While I'm here, we can talk middle blocker strategy!"

"'We'? You're still fetching stray balls."

Tadashi hears Hinata's noises of outrage echo down the hall while he goes to fetch his coat and earmuffs. Tsukki's right; he _is_ somehow louder, isn't he? Tadashi wouldn't've thought it possible, but something about Hinata is bigger, more focused and excited. It's contagious and overwhelming, and he smirks a bit thinking about when Hinata and Tsukki will get to come back to regular Karasuno practice. They're both a little louder, to be honest. It's good that Tsukki got to go; good that Hinata forced his way in.

He can't say the same of Kageyama, though. Tadashi changes out of his school shoes and takes a moment to think about it. 'Absent' isn't the right word to describe the Kageyama who came to practice this morning, but it's close. Tadashi's spent a lot of time watching his teammates along the endline; he considers himself something of a Karasuno connoisseur. By virtue of watching them in almost every set, Tadashi is, by extension, a Hinata expert, a Tsukishima expert, a Kageyama expert. Kageyama is actually kind of quiet on his own; because he's almost never without Hinata, you wouldn't know it.

But Hinata was still at Shiratorizawa in the mornings and afternoons, and this Kageyama was quiet. That was what Tadashi thought about most seeing Kageyama at practice this morning: Kageyama was quiet. He was still.

And that is how Tadashi finds him in the gym: still, like a crane, like someone meditating or doing tai chi. One hand is outstretched holding a ball, the other raised behind him to strike. There's that weird quiet in Kageyama's stance. Tadashi feels a thickness drop through his chest, like he's just swallowed too much water all at once. Kageyama is so intense sometimes. It makes Tadashi feel tired for him.

"Sorry for intruding," Tadashi calls, slipping on his court shoes.

Kageyama startles and his whole mood changes. His face goes stiff. He halfway nods at Tadashi. Tadashi resists the urge to apologize for breaking Kageyama's attention. It sort of feels like he dropped a stone in a pond and muddied the water. 

"Kageyama," he teases gently, "don't you have any hobbies?"

Kageyama blinks at him in response. Tadashi's inner Tsukki snickers meanly at Kageyama's blank face. _'What's a hobby?'_ it seems to say.

"I missed practice," Kageyama says, lowering the ball and his hand. "Before."

"You were at an elite training camp in Tokyo, Kageyama. You could just eat your lunch if you want."

Kageyama grunts a bit in response. Tadashi scans the gym. "Hey, so, did you see a yellow-wrapped bento by the lockers or the showers?"

"No," Kageyama says. He's holding the ball like he's -- like he's guilty, like he's done something wrong. So weird.

There's another few beats of silence. Tadashi fidgets. "Well. Thanks, anyway."

"Yamaguchi," Kageyama says.

Tadashi stills. They're basically the same height, but on the court Kageyama has a presence, even now at lunch time when no one else is here. Even in his newfound uncanny stillness, even when he hates being called 'King,' Kageyama is still royalty.

"Can,” Kageyama starts, pauses. “Can you watch my float serve?"

 _No_ , rushes in Tadashi like a cold wind. Instantly all his muscles tense.

"Oh," Kageyama says, and Tadashi realizes he said it out loud. 

"Shit?" Tadashi says, and can't relax his body. "I -- Kageyama, I have to find my lunch? I. I have to go look, sorry. I'll. Bye."

Tadashi nearly runs out of the gym, nausea bubbling in the pit of his stomach, a whirlwind story picking up speed and debris in his brain. Kageyama, who is already the King of the Court, who already can do nearly anything, anything at all with volleyball, the ultimate generalist, is sneaking up on his only tie to the team?

No, no. That's. That’s impossible. He’s heard from Tanaka how Kageyama reacted when Daichi suggested he play anything but setter when they joined. Kageyama can be a tyrant, but he’s not a pinch server. Right? 

Tadashi bites his lip and treads back to class, stomach churning with hunger and a growing sense of dread.

  


***

  


They're walking the halls after school when Tadashi brings it up.

"Is he trying to take my place?"

"Who knows what his mochi brain is thinking," Tsukki says.

"Tsukki."

Tsukki looks over at Tadashi and holds his gaze. He sees whatever he needs to see, clicks his tongue. "No," he says. "The King and his jester would never leave the center of the court."

It feels true. "Maybe," Tadashi concedes.

Tsukki is quiet for the last stretch of hallway before they pause at the fork where they'll have to part ways. "There's no one on the team who can do what you do."

"Tsukki!" Tadashi says, buoyed. Even though they've been coming more frequently, he's still surprised every time Tsukki pays him a compliment. For his part, Tsukishima has the decency to look a little sheepish.

"There must be some other reason." Tsukki smirks a bit. "Maybe he's finally found something he can't do."

" _TSUKISHIMA!!_ "

Tsukki's face falls almost instantly. Tadashi hides a smile for the third time that day. Hinata bounds over to them in the hallway, already changed into practice gear, barely still long enough to shout, "We need to go to Shiratorizawa! I'm gonna end up beating you there!" before running off.

Tsukki scoffs, but Tadashi watches his friend pick up his pace. "I'll see you tomorrow, Yamaguchi."

"See you, Tsukki." Tadashi turns toward the Karasuno gym. He stops at the shoe lockers and takes a deep breath. No, _he_ is the pinch server. Kageyama is a setter. Nothing should take that away.

  


***

  


"Yamaguchi."

Tadashi pulls his shirt over his head. He's successfully spent all of practice delaying his deep embarrassment from having overreacted at lunch by ignoring Kageyama's existence. It worked really well. Until now.

He hears his inner Yachi voice chime in with a quick _'You can do this!'_ and he turns to face Kageyama.

"Ah, hey, Kageyama," Tadashi says. "I need to apologize for earlier."

Kageyama is surprised. Tadashi is in turn a little surprised himself -- _did he not expect after my rude behavior?_ \-- and can't keep himself from babbling.

"I'm -- I'm a specialist and you know, my serve it's -- it's all I have for the team, and I've put in a lot of work to practice it and it's sort of the only thing I have going for me here, so it's very important that I stay the pinch server, it's what I've worked for and it's what I am here to be, and I'm not about to give up my position to anyone, for any reason at all, so if that's the reason you want to learn, I can't help you."

There is a horrible pause.

"No," Kageyama says.

"No," Tadashi echoes. "Great." He looks down at his shoes and is disappointed to not see the floor cracked open like he'd hoped.

"Do you think you could watch it now?"

"Your serve?"

Kageyama nods. 

"Coach has to lock up," Tadashi says. Kageyama looks like he didn't think of that. Tadashi feels the need to fix the problem. "We could go to the neighborhood association's court? There’s an outside and an inside one. It’s cold, but if even we're locked outside it won’t take long to watch you."

The surprise just keeps bouncing back between them. _Nice receive_ , Tadashi thinks to himself, as he feels his own face mirror Kageyama's wide eyes.

"Alright," Kageyama says, quickly grabbing his bag and throwing on his coat.

"Alright," Tadashi says, realizing what he's done. "Alright."

  


***

  


"Alright! Go ahead."

It's late but not that late, and it’s cold but not that cold. Everyone had stopped at Sakanoshita’s to ruin their dinners, and Tadashi, who hadn’t had any lunch and just enough money for a meatbun, is cradling what’s left of his in his bare fingers, hoping the steam will soak his face in warmth. He’s standing alongside the court, halfway between the net and Kageyama, who is still and quiet, poised behind the line at the end of the court. Once again, Kageyama is a crane, intense and focused. He exhales, opens his eyes, tosses the ball, hits it and--

It hits the net.

Tadashi's laugh barks out of him.

“Ah! Ah, sorry, Kageyama.” Relief floods his whole body. There’s no way. There’s no way Kageyama, even with his freakish skill and incredible talent, will _ever_ fix this by Nationals. Not that Coach would ever switch Kageyama out of being setter, not that Kageyama would _be_ anything but setter, but. Tsukki was right. His irrational lizard brain is relieved. _He_ is the pinch server. 

Kageyama looks at Tadashi with his focused crane eyes. Tadashi notices they’re a really dark blue.

“What do I need to do to get it to work?”

Tadashi shoves the rest of his meat bun in his mouth. “Um,” he chews, “could you, ah, show me again?”

Kageyama grunts, and goes to pick up the ball. He settles himself again, perched behind the line, and serves. It’s just as bad as the first.

He turns to Tadashi expectantly. Tadashi’s mean inner Tsukki preens. _Let me savor this a little longer: Kageyama Tobio, King of the Court, is asking for help._

“Sorry, Tsukki,” he mumbles to himself.

“Huh?” asks Kageyama.

“Sorry, uh. Well.” What to say? Almost instantly he hears himself voice his least favorite question. “What do _you_ think needs to change?”

Kageyama doesn't pause. “I haven’t been able to hit the ball so it doesn’t spin.”

“Huh. Yeah, that's. Probably.” Tadashi walks over to pick up the ball. He remembers being here in warmer weather, can imagine Shimada-san's voice. _'Jump serves depend on a powerful spin. What you will be doing is entirely different.'_ He passes the ball a little between his palms. “Have you ever practiced a jump serve?"

Kageyama shakes his head. He’s so attentive it’s off-putting and compelling. Tadashi doesn't know how to talk to him. He suddenly understands why Hinata goes about everything while yelling. Kageyama is _intense._

“Why not, ah. Practice serving without the jump, first? That’s how I started. Like this,” Tadashi says, and feels in his feet the balance he’ll need, the muscle memory of the thousands upon thousands of times since Shimada-san's first lesson he’s practiced to make his serve what it is for the team. It feels extra good to think that he’s showing off to _Kageyama,_ who is paying incredible attention to Tadashi's form. Kageyama, who gets invited to Tokyo, who pisses everyone off by being so good. 

Tadashi tosses the ball, and it rises and falls with no spin. His hand _whaps_ forward, pushes the ball out with the flat of his palm, and it glides and soars until it just barely tips against the top of the net, and falls like a rock on the other side.

 _Yes,_ he thinks to himself.

Kageyama nods. “Right.”

He walks over to fetch the ball from where it rolled, and jogs a bit back to stand next to Tadashi. Tadashi watches as Kageyama regains his focus, body stilling, arms moving into an exact pantomime of the serve Tadashi just made. His form is perfect. Kageyama throws the ball up in the air, reaches forward to strike, and -- 

Kageyama’s face is priceless. Tadashi shoves a knuckle in his mouth. _Don’t laugh._

“One more!” Kageyama says (to himself? To Tadashi?) and stomps to where the ball had gone, ostensibly not where he’d planned. 

Tadashi breathes -- _don’t laugh!_ \-- and clears his throat. “Actually, Kageyama, I’d kind of planned to head home now? I’m starving and I need to make dinner.”

“Oh,” Kageyama says, like he’d forgotten dinner was a thing humans needed and was a little embarrassed he had. Tadashi watches while Kageyama stands still for a moment or two, before he walks over to zip his ball into his bag, tug on his gloves, and turn to Tadashi expectantly. Tadashi stares back until he understands that Kageyama is, oh, waiting for him.

It’s weird. It feels kind of like Tsukki’s there, only, not. Tsukishima would have both far more and far less to say. Tadashi grabs his own bag and heaves it over his shoulder. “Okay.”

They start walking in silence. Tadashi has no idea where Kageyama lives; he’s just walking home. Kageyama follows along. The longer they walk and don’t say anything, the sooner Tadashi hopes they get to whatever road Kageyama will need to turn onto to leave. 

Tadashi glances over. Kageyama looks angry, or constipated, clutching his bag. It’s a little scary? Tadashi has never envied Hinata his near-constant interactions with Kageyama, and he doesn't think he ever will.

Suddenly, Kageyama speaks: "Do. Do you want a meat bun?"

"But--" Tadashi starts to worry about developing wrinkles from surprise. "I'm not Hinata?"

Kageyama's face twists and Tadashi gets the distinct impression he has made a mistake. Kageyama's voice is a little too loud. “For dinner, until you get home.”

“Oh!” Tadashi hears himself say. “Sure.”

Kageyama hands Tadashi the small paper bag. “There’s only one left.”

“Thanks, Kageyama,” Tadashi says, surprised at his generosity.

Kageyama’s shoulders square a little, straightening up. He grunts in response, but his face brightens up with a little, shaky smile, just for a moment. It’s. 

Tadashi looks down at the sidewalk. He unwraps the bun and takes a big bite. It's cool, but the taste doesn't suffer. Just feels a little different. 

Kageyama stops. “This is where I turn."

“Okay." Tadashi's relieved. "Thanks for the meat bun.”

Kageyama nods and bows a little. “Thank you very much for watching my serve.”

Tadashi is touched. He didn't think he'd done anything to warrant all that. “Sure, Kageyama. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

Tadashi watches Kageyama walk off down the street. He's so odd, but. He doesn’t seem as quiet anymore.

 _Good_ , Tadashi thinks to himself, and finishes his walk home.


End file.
